Apparatus for handling fish



FIG. I

0 o e. o o o o 0 o 9 v H. R. HUMPHREYS III III! Ill .1Hl-H- '1, s i

l S! H l I u l. l

i Q a IN E i l {0| 4 I" N 1 I I I 3nventor HANNA RHUMPHREYS QEL,fi 4 q MMQC% (Ittomegs Patented Nov. 6, 1951 APPARATUS FOR HANDLING FISH Hanna R. Humphreys, Weems, Va., assignor to The Humphreys Railways, Inc., Weems, Va., a corporation of Virginia Application October 7, 1946, Serial No. 701,657

This invention relates to means forand a method of unloading and handling fish in bulk, as from the hold of a fishing boat.

The present application is a continuation-inpart of my prior co-pending application Serial No. 604,445, filed July 11, 1945 and now aban--v doned.

The unloading of boat loads of fish and the delivery of these fish to a packing house or other factory, has always presented a difficult problem. This unloading and handling of the fish has heretofore been done entirely by hand and is a very tedious and laborious operation.

One of the objects of the present invention is to devise a method and apparatus for unloading and conveying boat loads of fish by means of a pump.

Another object is to devise an arrangement in which, after sufificient water has been added to the fish in the hold to produce a fluid mass, this fluid mass is pumped out of the hold and the fish then separated from the. water, and the water collected and returned to the boat.

A still further object is to devise means for returning this water to the hold of the boat in such a manner that it assists in moving the mixture of fish and water toward and into the pump.

Yet another object is to devise an improved construction of boat so designed as to facilitate the channeling of the mass of fish toward the pump intake. W

' In order that the invention may be readily understood, reference is had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, and in which: 1

Fig. 1 is a view partly in section and partly in side elevation showing my improved construction of boat and accessories, and illustrating the cooperating apparatus mounted on a fixed support, such as a wharf; and

Fig. 2 is a transverse section substantially on the line 22 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawing in detail, A designates a pier or wharf, while B indicates the boat in its 45 ably at the center, is a trough or duct 4, having 55 a top wall 5. From the upper edge of this trough extends on each side a sloping dunnage' 6, this dunnage and the top wall of the duct-form'- ing the bottom of the fish compartment or hold.

3 Claims. (Cl. 214-14) a series of longitudinally spaced holes or openings 1, four such openings being shown and being designated a, b, c and d. Individually removable fianged covers 8 normally close all but one of these openings, these covers being shown as suspended by means of hooks 8 from chains 9, secured to transverse bars I0, supported on the edges of the hatch 3. It will be understood that the openings 1 and covers 8 are all of the same c an engine or the like (not shown), and mounted upon the wharf A. This pump may be of any desired type, but preferably is of the kind illustrated and described in my above mentioned prior co-pending application.

From the pump l3 extends a delivery pipe or conduit H! to an elevated point where it discharges into a rotary screen in the nature of a perforated drum I5, having a spiral flange therein to act as a conveyer. This drum or screen is driven in any suitable way, as by means of a sprocket I5 At the end opposite the delivery pipe M, the rotary drum or screen is arranged to discharge into the hopper N5 of a meter or measuring device IT. This, in turn, discharges through a chute I8 into the receiving hopper I!) of a suitable conveyer 20, driven as by means of a sprocket 2|.

Disposed beneath the rotary drum or screen L I5 is a tank 22, arranged to receive the water dissufficient water to render charged from said drum. From this tank extends a pipe 23 to a pump 24, which may be of the centrifugal type, also mounted on the wharf, and from the discharge side of this pump extends a flexible hose 25. The free end of this hose is adapted to be connected by a suitable coupling to the upper end of a vertically extending jet pipe 26, disposed at the end of the fish compartment of the boat opposite to that at which the suction pipe II is mounted. The lower end of the jet pipe 26 is bent almost at right angles to form a discharge nozzle 21, which is directed longitudinally of the boat toward the other end of the compartment where the suction pipe I l is located. The jet nozzle 21 is disposed close to the top wall of the duct 4 adjacent the opening a therein, so

that the jet delivered therefrom tends to sweep over and into this opening.

A second pipe 28 extends from the tank 22 to a.

second pump 29, also mounted on the wharf, and

Formed in the top wall 5 of the duct 4 are from this second pump extends a flexible hose 30,

having at its free end a nozzle 3!. This is preferably different from the conventional hose nozzle, and desirably consists of a straight section of pipe of substantial length, such, for example, as two feet. It will be noted that the hose 30 is not attached to any part of the boat, but

may be freely manipulated by hand, as desired.

The operation of the apparatus is as followa The boat, having been loaded with fish, mixed with sufficient water to renderthe. mass fluid", is brought up alongside the wharf, as shown in Fig. l. Thereupon, the hoses I2 and 25 are con:

nected to the respective pipes i i and 26, and then the pump I3 started. The covers 8 are normally in position over the openings 22, c and d, as shown tons of fish. Also, the manual labor in carrying out the unloading operation in accordance with the invention is reduced to a minimum, not more than one-fifthv of. the number of men formerly rein the drawings, the opening a..being. free and uncovered. A little water having been. leftin; the tank 22, the pumps 24 and 29 cause high pressure jets to be discharged from the nozzles 21 and 3|. The nozzle 3| is plunged, by the operator, into the mass of fish adjacent the opening a, and the jet issuing therefrom tends to loosen up the mass and drive the fish. down through the opening a into the duct 4. At the same time,the: jet issuing from the. nozzle 27 sweeps over the bottom of the compartment and into the opening' a; thus entraining and carrying along the. fish with it. Thus, by the use of these hydraulic means, the mass of fish is impelled through the opening a into and along the duct 4. At'thesame time, suction being created in the pipe H by the pump 13, the mixed mass of fish and'iirater is drawn up through the suction pipe H, and. delivered from the discharge pipe M into the rotary drum or screen l5. Here the water is separated from the fish, such water being collected in the tank 22, while the fish, impelled by the spiral fiange inside of the drum, are carried along and discharged from the left hand end into the metering device H and thence are delivered. intothe conveyer 20, by which they are carried to the desired point.

After the mass of fish immediately adjacent the opening a has been thus unloadedthe cover is removed from the opening I) and placed upon the opening a. The nozzle 3! is then insertedjin the mass of fish surrounding the opening, I), thus loosening them up and impelling them into and through such opening. At the same time, the

current of water created by the jet nozzle 2;?

sweeps oper the closed opening a and surround-- ing area and flows toward and into the opening 1), thus aiding in moving the fish into and through this: opening. I

Similarly, the covers are removed successively from the openings 0 and d, as unloading progrosses, and finally, after all of the fish have beenunloaded, the cover is removed again from the opening a and placed upon the opening This puts the boat in condition to receive a new load.

It will be. noted that very little additional water is used in carrying out my improved method of unloading and handling the fish, since the water, after having been separated by the rotary screen, is constantly returned to the hold of the boat and again recirculated. Thus, the same water is used over and over again in a cycle, instead of being thrown overboard and fresh water admitted. In this. way, pollution of the water" surrounding the wharf is avoided, and, moreover, the re-circulated water finally accumulates a considerable amount of fish oil. This may be recovered by suitable processing as a by-product. Such processing also serves to destroy harmful bacteria and quired being necessary.

What I claim is;

l.v In a system for handling fish, the combination with, a boat having a compartment adapted tocontain a mass of fish, of a duct extending along the bottom of said compartment, having an inlet. openingin its top wall adjacent one end, the upper surface of said top wall beingv substantially smooth, a suction pipe communicating with the other end of said duct,-a pump connected with said suction pipe, and means for directing. a high pressure jet of water over the smooth-v surface of said duct longitudinally thereof. beneath the mass of. fish towards and into said opening, whereby the fish adjacent saidopening said duct towardv said suction pipe.

2.. In a system for handling fish, the combine tion with a boat having an elongated compartment adapted to contain a mass 'offish mixed with water, of a duct extending longitudinally of said compartment below the same and having a top wall forming part of the bottom of said compartment, said bottombeing substantially smooth, said top wall having an inlet opening ad jacent one end, asuction pipe tapping the other end of said duct, 2: pump connected with said suction pipe, and means in addition to said pump for causing. a current of water to flow alongv the smooth bottom of said compartment beneath the. massof fish towards said opening, whereby the fish are: moved to and. caused to pass through said opening into said duct.

3. In a system for handling fish, the combina-- tion with a boat having. an elongated compartment' adapted to contain a mass of fish mixed smooth upper surface and provided with. a series of inlet. openings disposed at spaced. points along the length thereof, movablemeans normally closing certain of said openings, a suction pipe at one end of said duct and a fixed jet pipe at the 5 other, said jet pipe being constructed to direct a jet of water along the smooth upper surface of said duct toward and into any of said openings which are not closed by said movable" means, and a. pump connected with said suction pipe.

HANNK R, HUMPHREYS.

REFERENCES CITED- The' following references are of record in the 

